Put to the TEST

Voilà, PC Express, Metro and Instacart: Which is best? We placed orders with each, rating them on speed, value, accuracy and ease of use to see which comes out on top

When it opened for business in 1989, Chicago-based Peapod offered something unimaginable at the time: fresh groceries delivered right to your door.

The company’s operations were rather clunky. “Peapod’s web graphics were so rudimentary that customers couldn’t see images of what they were buying,” wrote The Atlantic in a 2019 profile of the burgeoning industry. Nevertheless, Peapod — America’s first online grocery delivery service — has prevailed, still operating today.

Other startups in the then-fledgling industry weren’t so lucky, failing to take off in the late ’90s. (Webvan, anyone?) But now, some three decades after Peapod’s first delivery truck hit the road, it seems online grocery delivery is here to stay.

With the pandemic ushering in a new era of get-it-fast grocery delivery, competition in the market is stiff. Hundreds of grocery delivery trucks cross the GTA each day, and it seems there’s no shortage of new online grocers trying to take a bite out of this red-hot market.

But it can all be a bit overwhelming, scrolling through thousands of items and prices and hoping you can snag a delivery slot that works with your schedule.

The Star tested four popular grocery delivery services — Voilà by Sobeys, Metro, PC Express and Instacart/Walmart — and rated each based on speed, value, accuracy and ease of use.

Some offered impeccable service and quality, while others bungled orders and were difficult to use.

With the goal of spending about $50 at each on common grocery items, receipts reflect the total cost of all products, plus any additional fees. The Star tipped delivery drivers where possible. PC Express and Instacart offered tipping options, while Voilà and Metro did not.

Voilà by Sobeys

With its distinctive forest-green delivery trucks, Voilà by Sobeys is arguably one of the most recognized grocery delivery brands in the city. Since Empire launched the service in the GTA in June 2020, it has grown considerably and, on balance, offers quick and reliable service at competitive prices.

Perhaps most innovative, and appreciated, is Voilà’s dynamic delivery pricing. Delivery fees vary depending on the one-hour time slot you select, with slots in the evening typically cheaper than those in the afternoon or late morning. Another plus: tipping is not expected and unlike some other delivery services, there are no annoying service fees or surcharges.

Voilà has an extensive selection of products — quite a lot more than its peers. It even has Farm Boy products and numerous non-grocery items, like health and beauty products, household goods and some pharmaceuticals. There were plenty of suitable alternatives for items that were unavailable. And of all the online grocers, Voilà had the most extensive number, and variety, of items on sale.

Delivery was fast and convenient. The Voilà driver called five minutes before arrival, which was a nice touch. The only downside to Voilà was its website, which was often glitchy and poorly designed, requiring several clicks to navigate between different menus.

Metro

Metro is a solid choice for consumers looking for grocery delivery, offering a wide variety of products at an affordable price. You can find everything from basic staples and prepared meals to household items and pharmaceutical products.

Its website is neatly laid out, easy to navigate and offers various filters so you can quickly find the best products for the right price. Flyer deals are extensive, offering significant savings across the store.

The only factor where Metro lags is delivery. The company’s delivery windows are two hours, wider than the hour-long standard among other services. Standard delivery costs $7.99, though there is a promo code for free delivery for orders of more than $150. Shoppers in a hurry can receive their groceries in under two hours — but for a costly $13.99 fee.

There’s also, annoyingly, a minimum spend of $50 to use Metro’s grocery delivery service, quite higher than its competitors. (The minimum order amount for Voilà, by contrast, is $35. Delivery, however, was fast, accurate and on time, though Metro only provides email updates, unlike other services, which often text or call customers before groceries are dropped off.

Some offered impeccable service and quality, while others bungled orders and were difficult to use

PC Express

Loblaws is typically more expensive than its competitors. Its delivery service, PC Express, is no exception. Prices are noticeably higher compared with other online grocers, with discounts few and far between, based on what the Star observed. PC Express’s sales section was limited — though there were a surprising number of discounted hair-colouring products. Most of the deals are “multis,” meaning you have to buy two, sometimes three, of the same products to be eligible for savings — ideal, perhaps for those with large households, but not so much for those living alone.

Overall selection was limited compared to other online grocers and there were a several items unavailable during the delivery window the Star selected.

The most striking thing about PC Express, however, is the cost of delivery. At $9.95, not including tip, the delivery fee, at least for the Star’s order, is nearly three times more expensive than that for Voilà. It may be worth it for a large order, but certainly not for one under $50, or even $100. The delivery, provided by DoorDash, was fast and efficient, arriving during the window selected. There were, however, some issues on DoorDash’s end with the estimated arrival time, which was about 25 minutes off.

Instacart/Walmart

Instacart, the billion-dollar American grocery delivery company, started operations nearly a decade before many of its largest competitors rolled out during the pandemic. It shows. The entire process — from ordering to delivery — is painless and surprisingly fast.

Instacart employs shoppers who pick up the groceries for you and deliver them to your door. In Toronto, Instacart customers can pick from a variety of grocery stores, including Walmart, Costco, Metro, Loblaws and No Frills. It also offers smaller outlets, such as T&T and Fortinos, along with non-grocery retailers like Staples, Shoppers Drug Mart and Bed Bath & Beyond (a rather random selection).

The Star selected Walmart. For a general retail store that also sells electronics, sports equipment and garden supplies (yes, you can purchase all those for delivery) it also offers a surprisingly wide selection of groceries that can rival your conventional grocer.

Instacart’s minimalist website design makes navigation easy — if you can get past all the lists of sponsored products. Prices are cheap — it’s Walmart, after all — and there’s a fair selection of goods on sale. Delivery was free, part of a promo for first-time users, but the Star was charged a nominal $4.24 service fee for the $52.20 order. (The total amount spent at Instacart was less than the other services because one item — grapes — was unavailable and thus refunded.)

The best feature of Instacart is transparency. The shopper is constantly in touch via text message, letting you know if an item is unavailable or if a substitute is available. Several items from the Star’s order were out of stock and the shopper selected approved substitutes. Those changes were clearly reflected in the receipt, unlike most of the other delivery services.

The winner

Fast, cheap, accurate and easy to use, Instacart, the third-party delivery service, is a cut above the others. Its website is clean and simple. Plus, unlike the other services operated by major grocers, Instacart offers selections from more than half a dozen stores in the GTA. And often, items can be delivered in less than two hours from most grocers. That’s hard to beat.